This invention relates generally to the field of curtain and drapery manufacture, and more particularly to an improved device for performing several conventional sewing operations on an individual curtain or drapery panel in a simultaneous and semi-automated manner.
It is known in the art to form an individual panel on a mass production basis by measuring uniform lengths of material from a cloth bolt, sewing a length of buckram or other stiffening material along one edge thereof, and forming a hem along an oppositely disposed edge. The first-mentioned edge may be provided during a subsequent operation with the usual triple pinch pleat, with or without the insertion of a lining material. At the present state of the art, each operation is manually performed seriatum, by a different operator, and using such method, it is not unusual for a team of as few as four operators to complete as many as a thousand pair or draperies during a single working day. Such productivity is possible because of the use of specialized sewing machines and other hardware, which require, however, the manual initiation of each sewing step.